• Tiny brown seaweeds on slat twine
    Supporting a sustainable blue economy

Seaweed nursery

Our Seaweed Nursery is the UKs first dedicated commercial macroalgae husbandry facility. Utilising two decades of applied seaweed cultivation research, SAMS Enterprise provide high quality seeding material and expertise to seaweed farmers and producers.

Species we provide 

> Alaria esculenta 

> Laminaria digitata

> Saccharina latissima 

Our consultancy services 

> Environmental impact assessments

> Seaweed licence and regulatory support 

> Site selection and farm design 

> IMTA research 

> Review, reporting and interpretation (e.g Argyll & Bute Council feasibility study, CES: Economic feasibility study) 

> Social licence studies 

Biobanking

> We offer long-term storage and bulking of your seeding material. 

Seeded Line Products

> The Seaweed Nursery provides site-specific strains of seaweed seeded line in a bio-secure nursery, satisfying the regulatory needs of cultivators across the UK.

Contact

> Email: seaweed@sams-enterprise.com 

> Tel: +44(0) 1631 559304

About 

Funded by Argyll & Bute Council and the UK Government, SAMS recently completed a project to expand and commercialise the on-site seaweed nursery, which will increase its production capacity, improve efficiency, advance the institutes applied research capabilities and support the growth of the sector in the UK.

Our product development complements research on bio-security, Integrated Multi Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) and mitigation of disease in seaweeds to maximise biomass yields and integrate with existing aquaculture operations. The nursery, operated by SAMS Enterprise, the commercial arm of SAMS, fulfils the growing demand of high-quality starting material to commercial seaweed farms for years to come.

As part of our mission to enable productive oceans whilst safeguarding the marine environment we produce site-specific strains of seaweed seeded line in a bio-secure nursery, satisfying the regulatory needs of cultivators across the UK. Utilising two decades of applied seaweed cultivation research, we currently maintain a biobank of seed cultures for a number of species, including Alaria esculenta, Laminaria digitata and Saccharina latissima, from various coastal locations that can be propagated annually to produce seeded line.

Through recent research and applied commercial projects, SAMS has produced the following reports that can guide you through the regulatory, technical, social, and economic aspects of establishing a seaweed farm:

Seaweed farming feasibility study for Argyll and Bute

- Economic feasibility study on seaweed (cultivation and supply)

Handbook on Social License to Operate for Seaweed Cultivation

For further information timelines, logistics, and the cost of seeded line, or to discuss how might assist in the development of your farm site, please contact our commercial team at seaweed@sams-enterprise.com

Seaweed farming with SAMS